Ottawa, June 24 (IANS) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denied meddling in an investigation into the 2020 mass shooting, the worst the country's history.
Brenda Lucki, head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), has been accused of pressuring local officers to help advance Trudeau's gun control plans, the BBC quoted the Halifax Examiner as saying, which was the first to report on the development.
According to the Halifax Examiner, the accusation stemmed from notes made by a local RCMP officer, released as part of a public investigation into the mass shooting on April 18-19, 2020, during which a gunman posing as a police officer killed 22 people in Nova Scotia.
The suspect died in a stand-off with police.
Addressing reporters on Thursday, Trudeau said that his government "did not put any undo influence or pressure" on police.
"It is extremely important to highlight that it is only the RCMP, it is only police that determine what and when to release information," the BBC quoted the Prime Minister as saying.
Denying the accusations, Commissioner Lucki said in a statement released on Tuesday that information sharing between the federal government and police is normal during a high-profile event such as a mass shooting.
The RCMP chief however acknowledged that she "should have been more sensitive" in her approach.
Canada's opposition Conservative Party has called for a debate in the House of Commons, and a parliamentary committee voted on Thursday to hold a hearing into the matter.
In the wake of the deadliest rampage in Canadian history, Prime Minister Trudeau in May 2020 announced an immediate ban on the sale, transportation, importation, or use of some 1,500 makes and models of "military-grade assault-style" weapons.
Police say David and Derek D'Alton were six and seven when they were bludgeoned with a hatchet and left in Vancouver's Stanley Park in a case known as the "Babes in the Woods."
The woman was exiting the Varley Loop Trail and crossing the foot bridge to Rice Lake Road at approximately 1:30 p.m. on February 13th when the suspect grabbed her buttocks from behind. The suspect is described as a Black or a South Asian male.
The order is now public on the government website but it took effect Monday when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the plan at a news conference from Parliament Hill.
The study concludes that the likelihood of similar events in the future will only increase as global warming continues to upend normal weather patterns. Almost 15,000 people were forced from their homes at the peak of the November floods.
In addition, multiple vehicles that were blocking 176 Street were removed from the area and the road has re-opened. Vehicles and pedestrians are now able to access the border crossing.
The most recent public health orders related to gatherings, events, bars and restaurants, for example, were set to expire on Wednesday and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said she would announce any changes a day earlier.
